Crotch type catapult frame



CROTCH TYPE CATAPULT FRAME Filed July 23, 1964 United States Patent O 3,272,193 CROTCH TYPE CATAPULT FRAME Ray Olecko, 654 Kent Road, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Filed July 23, 1964, Ser. No. 384,673 12 Claims. (Cl. 124-21 My invention relates to new and useful improvements in hunting type sling shot or catapult frames.

Conventional sling shots or catapults usually consist of a Y formation frame having a substantially cylindrica-l vertical hand holding stem with a pair of symmetrically disposed arms diverging outwardly from the upper end of `the main hand holding portion, to the extremities of which the elastic is secured. The principal disadvantage of this form of construction are rstly, with heavy duty elastic it is difficult to grip the frame firmly enough for an accurate shot and secondly, due to the shape of the hand, it is more comfortable to hold the hand holding portion inclined from the vertical which, of course, places the Y arms above and below a horizontal line. If the horizontality of the upper ends of the Y arms is corrected by twisting the wrist, then the hand holdin-g portion is off `the vertical position land the wrist is under strain thus making it diflicult to pull back on the elastic and obtain an accurate shot.

I have overcome both of these disadvantages by making the hand holding portion inclined with relation to the Y arms and secondly, by providing finger grips for the hand holding portion and a thumb recess and a forenger recess to brace the frame during the pulling back of the elastic and the making of the shot.

The principal object and essence of my invention is therefore to provide a device of the character herewithin described which is more comfortable to hold and permits less Istrain to the operators holding wrist.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which includes thumb and forenger recesses thus enabling the operator to obtain maximum stretch of the elastic without vibration occurring to the holding hand.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described in which the hand holding portion is inclined from the vertical thus making the device more .comfortable -to hold.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described in which the sling ,shot frame can be made left or right handed merely by providing left and right hand moulds.

A yet further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which is Simp-le in construction, economical in manufacture and otherwise well suited to the purpose for which it is designed.

With the foregoing objects in view, and such other objects and advantages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, my invention consists essentially in the arrangement and construction of parts all as hereinafter more particularly described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE l is a rear elevation of my device.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of my device.

FIGURE 3 is a front elevation of my device.

In the drawings like characers of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

Proceeding therefore to describe my invention in detail, reference to the accompanying drawings will show a sling shot frame adapted to be held in the left hand, it being understood that a right hand frame is exactly opposite or handed from the one illustrated.

3,272,193 Patented Sept. 13, 1966 ICC The device consists of a hand holding stem 10 marging into a yoke area 11 from which extends Iupwardly a pair of spaced and parallel elastic holding yoke arms 12 and 13.

The hand holding portion 10 is provided with nger gripping reces-ses 14 on the rear side thereof and a smooth, rounded or curved surface 15 upon the -front and side portions. Upon each lside of the yoke portion, recesses are provided, the recess 16 being adapted to receive the forefinger of the operator and the recess 17 being shaped to receive the thumb of the user thus forming a rigid support and enabling the pulling back of the elastic to be accomplished without vibration or movement occurring to the frame.

It should also be observed, and this is an important feature of the invention, that the hand portion 10 is angulated with respect to the vertical axis 18 of the yoke arms or portions 12 and 13, the portion 10 inclining dow-nwardly and to the left of the vertical when viewed in front elevation. It will be appreciated, of course, that with the oppositely handed frame then this portion inclines downwardly and to the right of the vertical when viewed in front elevation. This angulation is in respect to the vertical axis of the frame which is at right angles to the horizontal axis 18 which in turn is parallel to the upper ends of the two arms.

The thumb recess 17 is shaped to receive the ball of the thumb which rests on the recess surface 17.

The forenger recess is slightly deeper than the thumb recess and continues partially around the lower end 12 of the arm 12 as clearly shown in FIGURE 2 and the tip of the forenger is wrapped around this side portion with the face of the forenger engaging within the recess area 16.

The remaining three fingers of the user engage within the finger gripping recesses 14.

Due to the angle of inclination of the stem 1t) the arms 12 and 13 may be held in a vertical position as illustrated with the wrist of the user lying in a natural position and the thumb and foreinger cooperating with the remaining three fingers around the stem to form. a rigid support for the frame when the elastic (not illustrated) is pulled rearwardly.

I have found the optimum angle between the vertical axis 18 and the axis 10 of the stem, is 15 but, of course, this can be varied either way but I prefer to maintain the angle within tive degrees of the optimum angle yso that the angle between the vertical axis 18 and the stem axis 10' is preferably between 10 and 20.

Annular recesses 19 are shown adjacent the upper ends 12 and 13 of the stem to which the conventional sling shot elastic can be secured. Alternatively, kerf slots may be formed within these arms.

Since various modifications can be made in my invention as hereinabove descri-bed, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without departing from such spirit and scope, it i-s intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A catapult frame `comprising in combination a pair of spaced and parallel, elastic carrying arms, said arms merging together at the lower ends thereof to form a yoke, and a hand holding stem extending downwardly from said yoke and in the same plane as said yoke, the vertical axis of said stem inclining away from the vertical axis of said yoke.

2. The device laccording to claim 1 which includes a forenger recess formed in the yoke adjacent one of said arms, and a thumb recess vformed in the yoke adjacent the other of lsaid arms, said stem inclining from said yoke outwardly towards the sides of said frame carrying sa-id forenger recess, said recesses being formed on the front face of said yoke.

3. The device according to claim 2 in which said forefinger recess -continues partially around the side of said one arm.

4. A catapult frame comprising a substantially Y- shaped member including a hand holding stem, and a4 yoke, said lstem merging at the lower side of said yoke, said yoke including a pair of spaced and parallel arms extending upwardly therefrom and in the same plane as said yoke, the vertical axis of said stern inclining away from the vertical axis of said yoke.

5. The device according to claim 4 which includes a forenger recess formed in the yoke adjacent one of said arms, and a thumb recess formed in the yoke adjacent the other of said arms, said stem inclining from said yoke outwardly towards the sides of said frame carrying said forenger recess, said recesses being formed on the front face of said yoke.

6. The device according to claim 5 in which said forenger recess continues partially around the side of said one arm.

7. The device according to claim 1 in which the angle of inclination of said stem from the vertical axis of said yoke is between 10 and 20.

8. The device according to claim 2 in which the angle of inclination of said stem from the vertical axis of said yoke is between 10 and 20.

9. The device according to claim 3 in which the angle of inclination of said stem from the vertical axis of said yoke is between 10 and 20.

10. The device according to claim 4 in which the langle of in-clination of said stem from the vertical axis of said yoke is between 10 and 20.

11. The device according to claim 5 in which the angle of inclination of said stern from the vertical axis of said yoke is between 10 and 20.

12. The device according to claim 6 in which the angle of inclination of said stem from the vertical axis of said yoke is between 10 and 20.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 163,738 6/1951 Beggs 124-20 X D. 167,260 7/1952 Grin. D. 178,837 9/1956 Huszar.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

W. R. BROWNE, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A CATAPULT FRAME COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A PAIR OF SPACED AND PARALLEL, ELASTIC CARRYING ARMS, SAID ARMS MERGING TOGETHER AT THE LOWER ENDS THEREOF TO FORM A YOKE, AND A HAND HOLDING STEM EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID YOKE AND IN THE SAME PLANE AS SAID YOKE, THE VERTICAL AXIS OF SAID STEM INCLINING AWAY FROM THE VERTICAL AXIS OF SAID YOKE. 